Rickie Lambert 'dreaming' of 2014 World Cup place after storybook England debut

There was never even the remotest danger of Rickie Lambert allowing his
extraordinary England debut to go to his head but, just in case, his
Southampton team-mates were ready and waiting on Thursday morning.

Apology: England goalkeeper Joe Hart said sorry to Roy Hodgson after failing to keep this James Morrison shot out at WembleyPhoto: GETTY IMAGES

Lambert had stayed up until the early hours sending personal replies to the flood of congratulatory text messages and arrived at the club’s New Forest training base shortly before 10am.

There were handshakes, hugs and words of heartfelt congratulations for his match-winning goal against Scotland before being brought sharply back down to earth.

“Everyone was delighted for him but he was soon getting far more stick than praise,” said one onlooker.

Aware of the unusually high number of television cameras waiting outside the dressing room, club captain Kelvin Davis picked up an iPad, took a photograph of Lambert’s head and proceeded to pose with a Lambert mask covering his face.

He even re-enacted Lambert’s goal, which was his first touch in international football, and the ecstatic celebrations.

Davis would not have been the only person pretending to be Rickie Lambert on Thursday.

Lambert, 31, says he is “dreaming” of the World Cup in Brazil and his story has captivated neutral football fans precisely because they could relate to his unlikely rise.

He might have joined Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves and Alan Shearer by scoring on his England debut but the journey from beetroot factory to Wembley via Macclesfield, Stockport County, Rochdale, Bristol Rovers and Southampton has been anything but conventional.

Lennie Lawrence signed Lambert for Bristol Rovers in 2006 and was not surprised by the huge ovation he received from the Wembley crowd even before his goal.

“As a country we love the underdog,” said Lawrence. “The supporters recognised that he is a player who had dealt with many rejections but kept going and really made it the hard way.”

As well as being let go as a teenager by Blackpool and Liverpool, Lambert was rejected by England manager Roy Hodgson.

“We played Fulham in the FA Cup and we told Roy to have a look at Rickie,” said Lawrence. “He didn’t think he was quite ready and, at the time, he was probably right.

"But Rickie was always more than just a great goalscorer. He is intelligent, knows when to drop off, could keep the ball and make assists. At Rochdale, he used to take all the corners and free-kicks as well.”

Even after 103 goals in 196 games for Southampton, the England call-up was unexpected.

Lambert had only just left the hospital where his wife Amy had just given birth to Bella Rose, their third child, when he received news from Mauricio Pochettino of his selection.

His phone then even ran out of battery while he took the call from Michelle Farrer, the Football Association’s director of team operations.

Hodgson has since described Lambert as a “breath of fresh air” around the camp although he did also point out that Daniel Sturridge and Andy Carroll were likely to be competing for places when he selects his next squad.

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, his friend and former Southampton team-mate, is hoping that Lambert can establish himself in the England squad.

“He did so much for me when I was coming through,” said Oxlade-Chamberlain. “He is such a nice guy and a humble man. To see him get the winner was unbelievable. I was over the moon.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain describes Lambert as a “classic” centre-forward. “He’s a great threat from set-pieces, he can take a free-kick, he’s got a great first touch, he can hold the ball up really well and he’s got good technique with both of his feet,” he said.

“If you’ve got it, you’ve got it. I’m sure he’ll do really well in the league next season and I’d never say he’s too old. As long as he keeps popping up and scoring goals like that you’d always want to see him around.”

Lambert now hopes to take the momentum from Wednesday into the new Premier League season.

“It’s been a whirlwind, it’s been hard trying to be calm, not let it affect me, trying to be cool but obviously deep down it means so much to me,” he said.

“I don’t want to come down. I’ve tasted it now and I want more. If that’s my only call-up, then I couldn’t have wished for it to go any better.”

And is he now dreaming of Brazil? “I was anyway and I always have been dreaming about getting to a major tournament.”